Comedy – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEW: Conspiracy-fueled ‘Wild Horse Nine’ is a terrific ride

John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell is the duo I didn’t know I needed until 2026.

The latest film to feature the Academy Award nominee and the Oscar winner is from writer/director Martin McDonagh. His follow-up to “The Banshees of Inisherin” (which made the Top 10 list of 2022 from yours truly) stars the two as a pair of CIA agents and is set in 1973, just before the September coup d’etat in Chile.

The veteran agent Chris (Malkovich), and his younger partner Lee (Sam Rockwell), have played an important role in the coup. However, Chris is dealing with a terminal illness, and wants to spend his final days in Easter Island for a last vacation. Lee obliges to join him on a final getaway, but even on a supposed vacation, elements of their espionage background pop up.

REVIEW: Iñárritu’s ‘Digger’ has layers of delicious satire and drama

It’s always a treat when you’re already enjoying a movie for what it is, and then it takes a turn that brings it up to an even higher level.

Such is the case with “Digger,” the latest starring vehicle for Tom Cruise who plays the titular character, an oil tycoon looking to extract Texas Tea from any place on Earth. As the movie gets underway, his latest operation ends up causing a disaster, with a large iceberg breaking from Greenland and heading toward Europe.

As the situation turns dire, Digger has to convene with the U.S. President (John Goodman) on what to do about the situation, with input from his environmental safety director Nirav (Riz Ahmed). As the film goes on, though, more is revealed about Cruise’s character, which flips the whole situation into even more dramatic territory.

REVIEW: ‘I Want Your Sex’ is a stellar erotic dramedy

Talk about an attention-grabbing title. Good news, though, director Gregg Araki’s new film has more intrigue than just a notable name.

The film stars Cooper Hoffman as Elliot, a recent college graduate who’s landed himself a job working for a successful, provocative artist. That artist is Erika (Olivia Wilde), a confident, forward and blunt woman who’s demanding of her staff. That especially becomes true when she enlists Elliot as her submissive sexual partner.

The two begin a relationship with a clear power dynamic at play. However, while Erika sees it as a loose relationship serving a purpose, Elliot, who’s more naïve, wants to believe something more exists. As they continue their relationship, Elliot’s life begins unraveling until the entire situation becomes chaotic.

REVIEW: Find an excuse to skip this ‘Invite’

Four characters, two couples, one apartment, and a whole lot of nothing else to really write home about.

However, I’m a film critic, so I have to write about this anyways. “The invite” is the latest film from director Olivia Wilde, who previously helmed 2022’s “Don’t Worry Darling.” Wilde also stars in the film as Angela, the wife of Joe (Seth Rogan), a man who doesn’t feel entirely fulfilled in his life where he works a job as a music teacher at a less than reputable school.

That unhappiness comes out in the marriage, as Joe and Angela are regularly bickering, and that only picks up at the movie’s onset, as the matriarch informs her husband she’s hosting a dinner party. She’s invited her neighbors Piña (Penelope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), a more free spirited couple. As the small gathering begins, things quickly unravel.

REVIEW: ‘I Love Boosters’ is bold, but ultimately breaks down

When it comes to “B” things I love, I can’t say boosters is on the list. Bourbon, basketball, burritos. I love those, but not boosters.

This movie didn’t really change that fact, either.

The film is writer/director Boots Riley’s sophomore effort after helming 2018’s “Sorry to Bother You.” His latest film is a surreal crime comedy starring Keke Palmer as Corvette. While she has a passion for designing clothes, challenges in life have forced her into shoplifting and reselling fashionable attire.

She conducts her boosting efforts in company with friends Sade (Naomi Ackie) and Mariah (Taylour Paige). In addition to earning the nickname the Velvet Gang, their activities also catch the attention of a powerful designer who is furious about her clothes being stolen.

REVIEW: Silly ‘Sheep Detectives’ will leave a smile on your face

Greg from “Succession” solving a murder with help from sheep wasn’t on my 2026 bingo card, but I’m not complaining.

Nicholas Braun, who earned Emmy nominations for his work in the HBO series, is part of an ensemble cast in this family feature. Braun stars as a police officer in a small town named Tim, who is suddenly tasked with looking into the mysterious death of a local shepherd, George Hardy (Hugh Jackman).

However, he’s not the only one investigating George’s demise. A murder mystery fan, George often read detective novels, and did so out loud to his flock of sheep. The group of animals, led primarily by Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), feel obligated to get justice for George as well, and try to help the case by relying on what they learned in stories.

REVIEW: ‘Prada 2’ succeeds with stars, news industry intrigue

When a sequel that’s not part of an ongoing series or trilogy comes out, it’s sometimes fair to feel trepidation. That’s not quite the case in a film like this, though, with such a strong cast.

One member of that cast is Anne Hathaway, who reprises her role of Andy Sachs. Now an established and respected journalist with two decades of experience, Andy is at what should be a good point in her career. That is until she learns that herself and the rest of the newsroom at the publication she works for have been laid off.

As luck would have it, the ownership of Runway, where she was once an assistant, needs some editorial guidance after a scandal breaks out. To help navigate things, ownership of the publication hires Sachs as the new features editor to help right the ship. However, the move isn’t warmly received by Runway’s Editor-in-Chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).

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REVIEW: ‘Normal’ goes big with action, humor with nominal impact

Bob Odenkirk has now starred in a trio of action flicks, but he still has a way to go before he matches the older grizzled action hero status Liam Neeson has.

In Odenkirk’s latest film, he portrays Ulysses Richardson, a law enforcement officer who’s taken the role of temporary Sheriff until the county of Normal can elect a new one. The county seat is also named Normal, and that’s where Ulysses finds himself trying his best to manage a smooth transition to a permanent replacement.

It’s the latest in a string of temporary jobs he’s taken since a traumatic experienced flipped his life and marriage upside down. But his latest stint starts to look less mundane than he first thought. As his law enforcement instincts kick in, he begins noticing suspicious things, and it leads to a thrilling ordeal he didn’t expect.

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REVIEW: Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ is an enjoyable mix of science and nature

Pixar has had a mixed track record in the 2020s, but fortunately, it’s new release is one of the better flicks from the animation studio.

The latest feature from the Disney affiliate centers on Mabel (Piper Curda), a college student who cares deeply about animals and nature. Her appreciation puts her at great odds with her city’s mayor, Jerry (Jon Hamm), who intends to develop a highway bypass. Doing so would mean the destruction of a natural area Mabel holds dear.

One night, when looking for solutions with few options left, she learns of a program at her college which has developed life-like robots, one of which looks like a beaver. The robots are controllable by humans with a neural link, and Mabel takes control of one to connect with animals and lead them in taking back there home under threat.

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REVIEW: ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ is an intense, anxiety-filled ride

Alas, this is not a martial arts movie. If that were the case, it would probably be, “If I Had Legs I’d Roundhouse Kick You.”

Instead, this movie focuses on a vastly overstressed mother, Linda (Rose Byrne), who doesn’t have much support in what she’s going through. Her daughter has a stomach disorder, meaning she requires the use of a feeding tube each night, and has to reach a certain level of weight for an operation.

While dealing with that, a massive hole breaks open in the ceiling of her apartment, with an accompanying busted pipe, leading to a flooded home. Oh yeah, and her husband is absent as he’s working away from home, plus she’s strained at work as a psychologist with a mix of difficult patients. Needless to say, it’s a difficult period we find the protagonist in. Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ is an intense, anxiety-filled ride”